Review Round-Up: Lollipop Chainsaw

Suda 51 returns with another unique experience. Lollipop Chainsaw has you play Juliet Starling, a zombie hunter, who has to slice and dice her way through hordes of zombies and put a stop to this outbreak. Does Lollipop manage to come out on top, let's see what the critics have to say:




MetaCritic:   69/100


Destructoid:   9.0/10

As a piece of entertainment, Lollipop Chainsaw is something truly memorable -- shameless, camp, idiotic, and so very enchanting. As a game, it is a celebration of the arcade era, an era when games felt free to be outrageous without worrying about being taken seriously or making even the vaguest lick of sense. As something to review, it is not deserving of the dread I wrote about at the beginning of the article. As it turns out, trying to describe Lollipop Chainsaw is half the fun. Talking about it is a joy. Playing it, even more so. It's one of the straight-up dumbest games you will ever encounter, but at the end of the day, it proves one thing ...

Just because something is dumb, that doesn't mean it can't be brilliant.

GameSpot:   6.5/10

There are other such foibles, a mix of loose details and awkwardly executed fundamental mechanics. They don't keep you from enjoying Lollipop Chainsaw, but there's no mistaking it for an action classic. Once you purchase a sizable repertoire of moves, you might have a shot at a good place on the online leaderboards. Actually, Lollipop Chainsaw is built for return visits: the game lasts for five hours or so, pushing you to chase high scores and buy enough combos to earn a fabulous end-level grade. If you do return, Juliet will be at your side, cheering you on while bemoaning her big fat butt. But like many strong personalities, she--like the whole of Lollipop Chainsaw--can grate your nerves. The game has lots of spunk, for sure, but it's ultimately no deeper than its vacuous star.

OXM:   6.5/10

There’s definitely a specific, intended audience for Lollipop’s quick-hit gameplay — those who relish stylish score-hunting over the more fluid combo-complexity of the game’s closest cousin, Bayonetta. But a little less flash and way more substance would’ve made this slaughterfest more memorable for all gamers.

GamesRadar:   6.0/10

Lollipop Chainsaw intentionally embraces everything that's fun about the trashy horror films of years gone by, so it's hard to fault it for aping the style of a B-movie. However, B-games aren't as blissfully enjoyable as B-movies, and Lollipop Chainsaw's production values and gameplay are more of a chore to experience than sitting through 90 minutes of grindhouse gold. If you expect groundbreaking insanity and innovative gameplay based on Grasshopper's legacy, Lollipop Chainsaw falls short of expectations. If you can successfully curb those expectations, then you've got yourself something quirky for a simple weekend playthrough, even if it's a game with some ups and some real downs.

IGN:   5.0/10

Lollipop Chainsaw doesn’t even attempt to differentiate itself from the genre, and most of what it does try new in the realm of its characters and writing ultimately ends up taking away from an incredible-on-paper action game. The music and sidekick are really all you can rely on to stay great from start to finish. The rest of Lollipop Chainsaw is all over the place before it ultimately settles for mediocrity and disappointment.